Man Convicted In Killing Of Fox Exec Sentenced To 11 Years

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A San Fernando Valley man convicted of killing a 20th Century Fox executive over an affair with his estranged wife was sentenced Tuesday to 11 years in prison.

John Lenzie Creech was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for the May 2012 beating death of Gavin Smith, who was missing for nearly three years before his remains were found in a shallow grave in the Angeles National Forest in the
Antelope Valley.

Smith, 57, was last seen between 9 and 10 p.m. on May 1, 2012, leaving a female friend's home off Kanan Road in eastern Ventura County in his black 2000 Mercedes-Benz 420E.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: Gavin Smith

Smith's Mercedes was recovered on Feb. 21, 2013, at a storage facility in Simi Valley that authorities said was connected to Creech.

Smith's remains were found in a shallow grave by a man walking with his dog on Oct. 26 in a rural area on the south side of Palmdale near the border with Acton, according to authorities.

After Smith's remains were found in a shallow grave, sheriff's Lt. David Dolson described Creech as "still a person of interest."

Smith had reportedly met Creech's wife Chandrika while he was in rehab and the two had been involved in a relationship.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)